Handbook for successful ageing - 3.3.2 Exercises 24 - 47

24. Stand up, turn around put your right hand on the left armrest, grab the loop with your left hand, pull the band backwards, put your right foot in the loop, and after letting it go put your left foot in it, too; put your left hand on the right armrest, move your feet slightly backwards in order to tighten the band and now extend your legs to the back alternately. Once you’re finished step out of the loop and shake your legs; if you’re losing your balance hold on to something to support yourself.
  

25. Extend your arms to the front, bend your knees and come up again, breathe out when bending, breathe in when stretching; again, if you’re losing your equilibrium look for something to hold on to with your hands and, when bending, extend your hands alternately to the back, again shake your legs.
 

26. If you don’t have any heart conditions walk on the spot as fast and long as you can, this will make sure that your brain is supplied with blood and that your heart is trained; breathe in during the first six steps and breathe out during the next six steps. I consider this unit of twelve steps as one exercise; count the exercises in order to have a starting point for the next day and gradually increase the amount of exercises to at least fifty. The deeper you breathe out, the deeper you will breathe in again, and the more oxygen your blood will absorb. You can easily do this running exercise without any preparations involved several times a day, unless it very hot.
  

If you are blind and you are scared of running towards a wall, place a rolled-up blanket in front of you and take one step back, as soon as you step on the blanket. If you do this exercise next to a wall or a balcony balustrade touch it every now and then with the back of your hand to be able to orientate yourself even better.
  

27. Let your torso hang loose, as close to the floor as possible, swing your arms forth alternately and come back up, vertebra after vertebra.
  

28. Adopt the straddle position, extend your arms to the sides, bend forwards; with the right hand touch your left shin bone on the lowest point possible, stretch your arm back to the side and repeat the exercise with your left arm. Breathe in while doing it with the right arm, breathe out while doing it with the left arm.
 

29. Put your left hand over your left shoulder, pull it down your back with your fingers, then put your right hand on your back too, the back of your hand touching your back, cross your fingers, slightly bend forwards so that you can pull your right hand further up, and a bit back, and the left hand further down; repeat this exercise starting with your right hand this time.
   

If you can’t bring your hands together yet, practice with a sock first, grab it a bit shorter every time until your hands touch; you need this suppleness to be able to put cream on your back yourself if necessary.
 

30. Fold your hands behind your back, your arms extended, bend forwards, lift your arms, pull them a bit further up and hold the position for a bit.
  

31. Press your palms together in front of your chest, fingers pointing upwards, lift your elbows, lower them again and then turn your fingertips as far forth and back as possible.
  

32. Box several times.
  

33. Fold your hands behind your neck and bring your elbows together (to the front) and stretch them as far backwards as possible.
   

34. Put your right arm to the left over your head, grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull it as far as you can to the left.
 

35. Stand in front of a wall,
   

a) lean your forearms against it and turn the torso as far to the left and the right as possible;
   

b) move away from the wall until you only touch it with the balls of your thumbs when your torso is bent, and turn the pelvis as far to the left and the right as possible.
   

36. Stand close to the wall with your heels and back touching it, avoid a hollow back, place your arms and the back of your hands on the floor and slide up and down alternately.
   

37. Draw up one lower leg, grab your foot and pull it towards your bottom.
  

38. Take a step forwards with your left leg and bend your left knee in order to tense the right knee, then bend your right knee to tense the left one.
   

39.

a) Fold your hands, put them behind your head and press your head and your hands against each other several times;
   

b) place your left hand on your left temple, fingertips facing up and press your hand and your head together several times;
  

c) place the balls of the thumb below the eyebrows and press the balls of the thumb and your head together several times;
  

d) draw up your upper arms in front of your body and press the balls of the thumb against the chin several times;
   

e) lower your head and rock it slightly to the left and the right; don’t roll to the front over the back!
    

40. Let your arms hang loose and draw several circles with your shoulders
   

a) to the front, up, to the back and the other way around;
   

b) in opposite directions; concentrate on doing it at the same time so that you don’t move your torso to the left and the right.
  

41. Lift your shoulders several times, and at the same time stand on the balls of the feet, lower your shoulders and feet, and stand on your heels.
  

42. Move the feet
 

a) Swing your pelvis to the left, let your torso fall to the right and roll your feet on the left edges,
  

b) alternately tilt your feet to the inner edges to that your knees touch, and to the outer edges;
  

c) afterwards take several steps on the inner edges and the outer edges of your feet, as well as several steps on the inner edge of one feet and the outer edge of the other;
  

d) stand on the tips of your feet and on your heels several times to strengthen the veins of your legs and to reduce the risk of varicose veins.
  

43. Put your feet even further apart, move your torso to the left, keeping your back straight, so that the leg is stretched, and then to the right, so that the left leg is stretched and afterwards bend your torso in all directions.
  

44. Jump into the straddle position several times, and throw your arms to the sides, however, not higher than shoulder height.
   

45. Standing in the straddle position swing your left arm backwards and the right arm to the front and left, so that the torso is turning in that direction.
   

46. Draw circles with your arms, with the left and the right hand facing up alternately, at least 5 times; first to the front and up and then to the back and up; breathe in on 1,2 and 3 and breathe out on 4,5 and 6; make sure your hands don’t touch.
   

If you want to increase the effort put on preset wrist weights and do the following exercises, keeping your back straight, knees slightly bent and the same breathing pattern, but without swinging, since this would harm the shoulders:

- extend your arms and lift them to the sides, as high as you can and then lower them again,

- extend your arms to the front, lift them up and lower them again,

- turn your palms to the front, draw up your forearms, lift your arms up and lower them again,

- turn the palms towards your face, draw up your forearms and stem the weights up. If you find this exercise particularly exhausting do it just half as often.
  

You can easily do these exercises several times a day.
    

If you haven’t used wrist weights or dumb-bells before you should start with light weights where you can increase the weight gradually by adding weight bars and once you have reached the full weight you should buy heavier weights. If your muscles ache from practicing you should give them 48 hours to recover. You should, however, not let that happen but rather practice more often instead. This way you use more energy.
   

When drawing circles with your arms you should not wear wrist weights due to the high centrifugal force that could harm your shoulders.
   

47. Let your torso hang loose and swing your arms several times back and forth, lean your torso back and keep swinging for a little while.

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